237 Arrested And 18kg Of Drugs Seized As 300 Officers Raid Liverpool Neighbourhoods In Major Crackdown

A large-scale police operation across parts of Liverpool has resulted in 237 arrests and the seizure of weapons, drugs and tens of thousands of pounds in cash following a week of raids involving around 300 officers.
Operation Vanguard, led by Merseyside Police, targeted Anfield and surrounding areas with teams drawn from specialist units including Matrix, County Lines, dog handlers, mounted police and underwater search teams. Officers executed 36 warrants during the first wave of activity, working from a list of 46 named suspects.
Among those arrested, offences included possession and supply of Class A and B drugs, drug driving and carrying offensive weapons. Searches recovered more than 18kg of heroin, crack cocaine, cannabis, nitrous oxide and ketamine, along with over £42,000 in cash. Thirty-five weapons were taken off the streets, including daggers, zombie knives, handguns and imitation firearms.
Beyond the arrests and seizures, officers dismantled 17 drug lines, conducted 36 cuckooing visits — where criminals take over the homes of vulnerable people to use as bases for drug dealing — and safeguarded 50 vulnerable individuals. Three electric bikes, two dangerous dogs and 64 mobile phones were also recovered.
A significant focus of the operation was county lines activity, which involves organised criminal networks using dedicated phone lines to distribute drugs, often forcing children and vulnerable adults to move narcotics, cash and weapons on their behalf. Merseyside’s dedicated county lines unit, Project Medusa, played a central role in the operation. The project brings together the County Lines Taskforce, an investigation team and a strand focused specifically on early intervention and prevention.
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Stratton from Project Medusa said the operation sent a clear message to those involved in county lines drug networks, adding that the work carried out across the week reflected a year-round commitment rather than a one-off effort.
Merseyside Police urged anyone with concerns about drug dealing or exploitation in their area to call 999 in an emergency, contact officers via 101, or reach out through the force’s social media desk on X at @MerPolCC.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​